Reproductive and LGBTQ+ rights are inextricably linked. The reason why this has to be formulated so clearly is that abortions are often dismissed in public discourse as a “women’s issue”. Moreover, an issue that would only affect heterosexual women. But we must certainly oppose this. Because reproductive justice does not only include abortions, but also the right to one’s own body, contraceptive policy, family and role models, reproductive technologies and much more.
The demand for reproductive justice was originally developed by Black feminists and feminists of color who did not see their concerns represented in the predominantly white mainstream feminism. They criticized the one-sided focus on abortion and emphasized the right to decide not only against, but also in favour of having children.
Loretta Ross, co-founder of the women’s organization Sister Song, is a central thinker of the concept. She defines reproductive justice as follows: Firstly, the right to have children; secondly, the right not to have a child; thirdly, the right to raise children in safe and healthy conditions; and fourthly, as sexual self-determination for all.
And it is precisely these demands that are closely linked to the reality of life and the demands of queer people.
This is because we are exposed to many difficulties and targeted discrimination, especially when it comes to reproductive rights. Starting with misgendering and intrusive questions in the gynaecological practice, to the denial of decision-making authority in the case of sterilization requests, to the lack of financial support for fertility treatment or obstacles to adoption.
For all these reasons, it is so difficult to find gynaecologists who are sensitive to reproductive and LGBTQ+ rights.
With regard to abortions, we – Kuzynka Drezno – are working as a solidarity support network to provide people from Poland with access to safe abortions.
Although the legal situation here in Germany is still unacceptable and a reform is long overdue, the situation in Poland is currently even more restrictive. The legal situation there was last tightened in October 2020, when the Polish Constitutional Court imposed an almost complete ban on abortion under the PiS government.
This means that it is not the abortion that is illegal in Poland, but the support. This can include everything from being performed by medical staff to arranging an appointment through a friend. After the parliamentary elections in 2023, we had hoped that the legal situation would change for the better, but this has not yet happened. It was only in July last year that the House of Commons rejected a relaxation. Most recently, the right-wing populist Nawrocki, who is close to the PiS, was elected president. Although Tusk’s government survived the vote of confidence, further developments in Polish politics are unclear.
The queerfeminist struggles in Poland, Germany and around the world must therefore continue in order to come closer to our ideal of reproductive justice. Because everyone deserves the right to bodily autonomy, to healthcare and to decide whether, when and how to have children, without undue interference from the state. Reproductive justice therefore requires fundamental social change, towards a coexistence free from class domination, sexism and racism.
My Body, my Choice!